7th November, 1951
Msengedzi
Dear folks,
Well here I am back in the valley after a week in town. I had planned to be in there only three days but it turned out more as I had to wait for someone to bring me home. The Brutons are still in town waiting for the part to come so that they can fix their car. They have an International pick-up like yours. Something went wrong with the back-end on their way into town. So I’m here alone carrying on at Msengedzi.
While in town the Field Committee came to a decision that both myself and the Brutons are to go to Mavuradonha in December and the Dunkelds are to come here and also a new girl. The other two new girls on their way out are to go to the Children’s Home. So I must move after all. I can’t say that I’m overly pleased. The work here at Msengedzi is to my liking very much. Up there, it will be practically impossible to do village work as the villages are too far away. One thing – the altitude is higher and therefore the climate is better than here. It doesn’t get nearly so hot up there. So goes life on the mission field.
It will make me seven years here counting my year at home. I guess it was just a year ago today since I left home, isn’t it? Time keeps moving. That’s for sure. I haven’t gotten post for two weeks so I suppose that there is post up there from you. I’m anxious to get it. This post boy makes the trip very quickly so it won’t be long before it will be here.
When I came home I came with Jacksons via Mt. Darwin. Their station is 45 miles from there. It is a place that was built by the government some years ago for a government out-post like Darwin and Sipolilo, but due to the fact that there is no water there they gave it up, and a few years back sold it to the Zambesi Mission. Now it is ours and that is where the Jacksons are. The house is lovely and much better than on any of our stations. Russ thinks that he can get water some way. The natives are a more advanced type than these in the valley. Anyway, I stayed there overnite and then we came on to Mavuradonha and then the next day on to here. Inga came along down with us. They left the next day again. She is leaving at the end of the year but she doesn’t say what she is going to do. Poor kid, I really feel sorry for her.
I have a very sick baby up at the dispensary today. I expect any time to hear them start wailing, because I expect it to die tonite. However I’m trying various medicines on him. He is a young baby. He seems to have that sickness of enlarged head. It is soft to the touch, too. Poor thing. We get all sorts of cases. Lots of diarrhea and some very bad cases of it. There is a sulpho drug which is the medicine for that, though. It really does the trick.
Well, I’m wondering how the corn has turned out, etc., so I suppose in one of these letters soon I’ll find out. I trust that you are all well. Ask Grace how about a letter.
Love to all,
Eunice
